About Dawson’s Vision Center

Pinson Dawson started in the optical business back in the late 1940’s with Bausch & Lomb. He began a tradition of hard work and honesty in the Anniston area in 1952 under the business name of J.A. Weiss & Sons in a building located at 9th and Wilmer. Pinson remained at that location doing wholesale lab work for doctors throughout the state of Alabama. Rick Dawson started working part time for Pinson during the summers delivering completed jobs to the local doctors. He made these deliveries twice a day by walking or riding a bicycle. Pinson managed the wholesale lab in the Anniston area for Mr. Weiss until 1974.

In 1975, Mr. Dawson started his own wholesale optical lab named Pinson A. Dawson Co. with the help of his two sons, Rick and Larry Dawson. He incorporated several years later and continued to do lab work for doctors around the state of Alabama. Rick and Larry continued to work summers with their dad. Rick joined his dad full time in 1978, leaving Kockums Industry where he worked in the engineering department. Larry graduated from Auburn University in 1981 with a degree in business administration and started working with his dad full time after graduation.

Then in January of 1985, the Dawson’s decided to open a retail store and combine it with the wholesale operation in the Everett Plaza on Quintard Avenue and the name became Dawson’s Vision Center. Merging the wholesale and retail segments of a privately owned optical business was a new concept at this time but it allowed the Dawson’s to sell the products and then manufacture the lenses in their own in house laboratory. It was and is the only full service vision center with a complete lab and a full time doctor in this area. Having an in house lab allows us to offer most people their prescriptions in the same day, and many times in 3 to 4 hours.

At Dawson’s Vision Center you will always deal directly with the owners, not someone different every time you go in like in the big chain stores. With over 60 years of combined experience in the optical field, the Dawson’s know the value of being honest and straight-forward with their customers and will always stand behind their product. The staff always gives the personal attention and performs the quality of workmanship that customers deserve and demand. These are the standards that Rick and Larry learned from their dad and these same standards keep them at the top of the optical industry.